This species is difficult to subdivide into subspecies, as the characters that have been used to separate them in the past are very variable. These characters include the corolla length and the number of scales and amount of pubescence on the style bases and outer surface of the corolla. Cullen (Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 39: 130. 1980) maintained Rhododendron virgatum subsp. oleifolium as distinct.